


Chasing the Sky

by Witchtomez



Series: Mysme Halloweek 2018 [7]
Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fantasy MMO AU, Mentioned Rika (Mystic Messenger), Mysmehalloweek 2018, prompt: fantasy AUs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2018-11-30
Packaged: 2019-08-28 12:06:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16723041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Witchtomez/pseuds/Witchtomez
Summary: A light fell from the heavens and caught his eye, inviting him to chase her; trading blades for books, Yoosung followed his dreams and took to the skies to do just that~





	Chasing the Sky

**Author's Note:**

> This piece is actually taking off on the premise I laid out at the very end of my Yoosung week submission titled [‘Stealth (?!) Mode’](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16658951). It’s not absolutely necessary to read, but it might help a little bit

Every day since the mage had nearly lost his life on a desolate battlefield, he had devoted his time to tracking down sources and various tomes for hints about the origins of the being that interrupted his promised demise; a star sprite, she’d called herself.

For all he had gathered between his own personal experience and the endless investigations into pubs and countless libraries, there were only a few things the warrior turned scholar mage seemed to understand of his luminous benefactor; powers of the heavens that allowed her to travel the skies like a falling star, a delicate touch that can stem nearly any wound and a capricious nature teeming with delight and compassion.

“You couldn’t possibly have sent her to look after me, could you? Sister Rika…?”

Yoosung sighed frequently over this wayward thought while closing another dusty volume.

While he had been a good student in his youth, he had grown accustomed to wielding a sword until recent events demanded he returned to the world of scholars-–and unearthing the older study habits was not quite as simple as it used to be for the young man, especially since hunting for an answer to a mystery was much more complicated than hunting a beast.

All that to say his daytime endeavors had not borne much fruit.

_His nights, however…_

It was a peculiar discovery; some weeks after their fateful encounter, though Yoosung had not felt any pain where his eye once sat, there had arisen a curious tingling beneath the shimmering gauzy patch now draped over his socket. This unusual agitation continued for a few days after, ebbing and flowing at whim.

Then the visions began.

Hazy in the beginning, the mage had not been able to decipher much of anything as it all appeared to be distorted behind a wall of water; but once Yoosung had caught the familiar glow, he’d latched on until the softly gleaming smile came into focus. The image was still fairly weak and wavered like ripples upon a lake, but he had seen enough to jot down notes of things he had been able to pick out on a haphazard scrap of parchment.

After three nights of this, the scholar mage had made a list of visions he could feel sure of: gossamer scales and claws that shone like mother of pearl, roving through a courtyard of expansive coral and submarinal flora; a cove wall that appeared to be ablaze with the hues of the fading sunlight; then, as with every night, the soft smile of his radiant guardian-–though the past evening seemed to indicate that the celestial entity was about to move forward with her journey as the underwater garden she had been occupying no longer appeared to be her current setting.

Fortunately, the details he had seen were enough for Yoosung to draw up a formal request to submit to the local guilds while he hastily dispatched missives to other reputed magical academics for their insights as to where he should continue his search.

Days went by with no word…then slowly, a few reports came in with rumors of an unusual streak of silvery light seen wandering westward across the midnight skies, hailing from the direction of the great sea to the south…which was said to hold the palace of a reclusive water god.

Taking this clue, Yoosung dove back into the archives for possibly related details on the water deity while packing a few instructional scrolls for aquatic breathing. Leaving a communication rune with the guild marm, the mage boarded the next airship to the south seas after procuring a meal to travel on.

As the great carrier sailed through the darkening skies, Yoosung drew his cloak a little tighter around his shoulders and kept ever watchful for the calming light of his Lady. Seeing the vast expanse stretched out endlessly around him as he sat aboard the deck, the fair-haired sorcerer felt peaceful, yet a bit energized; without all the villages, canyons and numerous mountains dotted with monasteries in the high reaches in sight, he felt as though the celestial entity might be relatively close so long as they were traveling the same heavenly paths.

A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth, thinking back to their final exchange before she took off.

_“You may call me Lady Dust, but you’ll not know my real name until you find me at the border. I should be done by then!”_

A mirthful snort escaped him; The Lady had a sense of humor to choose such a humble alias while gifting him one miracle after another. With a tinge of aching, Yoosung hoped that it would not be long before his ears were filled with her twinkling laughter again. The visions he received during his sleep merely excited him, but not truly being able to hear her was becoming a rather irksome reminder that she was still out of reach.

Still…not having had much to do with women outside of his family, he was grateful to be guided to sleep by such an exquisite visage; even the strange fluttering sensations became oddly pleasant.

“Sir-–I say, **Sir**!”

Shaken from his musing, Yoosung jumped at the sudden company of a concerned deck runner.

“–Ah! Yes? Sorry, I was a bit lost in my thoughts,” he admitted sheepishly. The shipman smirked, shifting his weight to one foot.

“And what _pleasing_ thoughts they must be, I’m certain,’–-the scholar mage choked as heat rushed to his face in stark contrast with the frigid air whipping past him.

’–-All the same, take your daydreams below deck with you–-they’ll do you no good if you freeze up here!” The ship hand chuckled at his passenger’s flustering attempt to cover his face.

“…The warning is appreciated, but I’ll cast a few more candletouch spells to my clothes for now. I’ll be in before midnight, I promise!”

“Suit yourself-–but I’ll have you bodily hauled in if you’re even a moment past. Stargazing is another experience up here to be sure, but you’re not to join them before your time on _my_ ship!”

Yoosung felt he need not bother to cast another self-heating charm to his muffler though he did it anyway; had he really been so easy to read? What was he going to do when he did finally track down the star maiden? If he didn’t tamper this growing infatuation that had taken root since the chase started...the last thing he wanted was to prove himself a stuttering fool after crossing the literal stars to find her.

Heaving a sigh, he turned his gaze back to the great expanse, greeting the moon.

 _'Well…_ ,’ he pondered, feeling his determination winning out over his anxiety,’–- _even if she thinks I’m an idiot at that point, she might still laugh in that sweet and tinkling way…and I’ll be in better shape to memorize it.“_

Taking a deep breath, Yoosung closed his eyes and muttered a focusing charm.

There was something like a spark; a quiet hum and then–-

The view was less blurry this time, though still distorted at the edges; a sea of trees rushed beneath and the sky appeared to be tinged with the barest hints of daylight though dawn was still well beyond the horizon.

Yoosung pouted slightly, realizing the distance was perhaps a bit greater than he’d hoped.

Still, his mounting excitement was unrestrained as the scenery began to slow and descend until Yoosung saw an opening in the earth–-ah!

He was now in full view of the now familiar glowing face, the halo of hair surrounding everything; catching the spark of amusement in her grin, Yoosung realized he’d been discovered–-not that he was necessarily peeking in a _voyeuristic_ way, surely she understood–-

_'Eh? She’s pointing…downward?’_

Returning his attention back to the crater beneath them, he detected something of a incandescent glow. Was it a lunabat colony?

When they finally descended, it was hard for Yoosung not to lose concentration; slipping through the earth, they floated down over what appeared to be an _entire phosphorescent jungle,_ the growth stretching all the way down past the rocky formations the deeper they explored. Gazing around wildly, Yoosung spotted flora that was impossibly large and so vibrant next to a gentle river, he swore he could almost smell it.

The more the mage took in the surroundings, the greater the ache of longing to be there with his fully functioning eye; the inability to discern if there was _an actual cloud_ hovering near the roof of the cavern somewhere further along the pathway was driving him positively _mad_.

His hyperactive excitement must have been obvious; his view was raised back to her face as she held up a finger, throwing her head back as her laughter no doubt echoed freely in the subterranean marvel. Bringing his gaze ever closer to her face, there was such clarity in her visible adoration that almost _seemed_ to be aimed at him, but that wasn’t…she _couldn’t_ be…

…

Suddenly, Yoosung didn’t want to look at anything else…

…which was apparently just as well–-

"TIme’s up, lad-–tuck him in, boys!”

“Huh? Wait! I’m-–!”

-– The spell was effectively interrupted; Yoosung was carried overhead beneath the deck to his designated lodgings, shoes and effects removed, before being tossed into the rented mattress and secured tightly by the blankets.

Huffing in irritation, he took a few soothing breaths and remembered that he _did_ promise to be mindful of the time–-before promptly losing track of it in his excitement. Touching his nose, Yoosung did find it to be dangerously cold and made a note to imbue some rune work into his gear to keep up the magic while he was trying to operate an active spell.

His mentor had always reminded him to always seek improvement and to focus on the things you can control rather than lose yourself to distracting and negative emotions; a skill he truly grew to appreciate as he set out upon the world.

Meditating a little longer, Yoosung finally released a slow exhale and felt his anger ebb away to give room to the gratitude he felt for the ship’s crew. They really had been diligent about assuring safe passage on their vessels, and with a pang of guilt, Yoosung realized that he was at fault for breaking his promise; he would do better in the morning.

For now, Yoosung nestled himself into the soft sheets: he wished to continue tonight’s adventure and looked forward to the daydreams that would result.

**Author's Note:**

> The cave is loosely based off of [Sơn Đoòng](https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/photos-inside-son-doong-the-worlds-largest-cave) cave in Vietnam. I would highly encourage you check the link if only for pics of how insane this cave is


End file.
